2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in the Plains States Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Oglala Lakota College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . Oglala Lakota College is a small public school located in the remote area of Kyle.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Oglala Lakota College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,529.
Out of the 89 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Community College Area landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,780 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $27,526.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Neosho County Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Neosho County Community College is a small public school located in the town of Chanute.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Neosho County Community College are $4,000 per year. Nursing majors at Neosho County Community College take out an average of $20,150 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Neosho County Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cloud County Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Concordia, Cloud County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cloud County Community College are $3,570 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Cloud County Community College accumulate an average of around $22,223 in student debt.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Rochester Community and Technical College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,372 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Rochester Community and Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College Report
Metropolitan Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Omaha, MCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $4,680 per year. On average, nursing graduates from MCC take out $22,316 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Hutchinson Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Hutchinson Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Hutchinson.
Hutchinson Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,470 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Hutchinson Community College take out $24,634 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Northwest Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. NTC is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NTC are $6,380 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.
NTC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
Central Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Grand Island.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Community College are $4,590 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Central Community College accumulate an average of around $13,462 in student debt.
North Hennepin Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Hennepin Community College accumulate an average of around $32,743 in student debt.
Lake Region State College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the town of Devils Lake, Lake Region State College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lake Region State College are $5,000 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lake Region State College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,411.
Mid-Plains Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Mid-Plains Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of North Platte.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Mid-Plains Community College are $4,320 a year. Nursing majors at Mid-Plains Community College take out an average of $19,256 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,625.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Labette Community College | Parsons, KS |
| 15 | Western Iowa Tech Community College | Sioux City, IA |
| 16 | Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN |
| 17 | Northeast Community College | Norfolk, NE |
| 17 | Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Plains States Region
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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